This present invention relates to an improved method and perforating system for completing wells.
In the past, tubing conveyed perforating systems for use in completing wells have been conveyed into wells on a tubing or pipe string with the string left in position in the well during the perforating of the well. After the perforating of the well, the perforating guns may have disintegrated or may be retrieved, or may be released or dropped from the tubing or pipe string through the use of various techniques. Such typical prior art types of tubing conveyed perforating methods are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,749,840, 2,873,675, 2,876,843, 2,853,944, 3,032,109, 2,799,224, 2,906,339, 2,981,185, 3,706,344, 3,966,236, 4,066,282, 4,557,331, 4,776,393 and 4,815,540.
Yet another type of prior art tubing conveyed perforating system which uses a monobore completion string in the completed well and does not result in any restriction in the flow area of the completion string is described in British Patent Application No. 902516.1. which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
However, the prior art tubing conveyed perforating systems used in the completion of wells which release the perforating guns to be dropped into the rat hole of the well bore suffer from the disadvantages of restricting the flow area of the production string, requiring the retrieval of apparatus which, in turn, requires the well to be killed, requiring a great length of rat hole in the well, requiring potentially expensive fishing operations for the retrieval of portions of the portions of the perforating apparatus from the well and restricting of the length of the string of perforating guns used in completing the well.